dangerous driving

There is a glut of internet items about how some cyclists feel pushed into retaliating in the face of dangerous, reckless or simply poor driving. Kingston Cycling Campaign does not condone this response.

When I reported an aggressive driver a few weeks ago the duty officer confirmed that you should always report such incidents, preferably with the vehicle number as well as the location and a description. Chances are, this information could be useful in other investigations too. The Crown Prosecution Service has a fact sheet outlining their definitions of dangerous and reckless driving: www.cps.gov.uk/news/fact_sheets/dangerous_driving/

They say:

A person drives dangerously when:

the way they drive falls far below the minimum acceptable standard expected of a competent and careful driver; and

it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving in that way would be dangerous

Clearly this includes:

driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs

street racing

a vehicle with a dangerous fault or an unsafe load

driving into street furniture

driving the wrong way on a fast road (motorway or dual carriageway)

mounting a heavily-pedestrianised pavement

For non-emergencies (such as reporting a reckless driver from the comfort of your sofa) call 101. However if you feel intimated enough to wish to remain anonymous you can report dangerous driving on RoadSafe London: content.met.police.uk/Site/roadsafelondon/

In the week that Christopher Gard was jailed for texting while driving at 65 mph and killing a cyclist taking part in an organised event, there was a discussion on ‘Death by Dangerous Driving’ on the Today programme on Radio 4 (now on iPlayer). Gard had been convicted of using his phone at least six times prior to this.

The Department for Transport is running a survey on proposed changes to penalties for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving. Some have pointed out that there is no explicit mention of law enforcement, only points and penalties, and that it doesn’t seem to apply to sat nav ‘adjustments’ while driving. However there are free text boxes for those who want to offer their thoughts.